A story was shared this week of a young boy who, upon getting lost on a hiking trip, found himself stuck upon a mountain. Those who accompanied this young man had surfaced the homeland long before they realized, one of their group had been left behind. One extra lemonade as the indicator, they began to panic-- where could he be? A few phone calls later, priesthood leaders, family members, and search and rescue teams had all banded together in heroism to save this young man. Meanwhile, this little boy had concocted a plan-- to ensure safety from wolves and bears, he had scaled the opposite end of the mountain, 400 feet up, and made a home out of a literal, "rock and a hard place." Rescue teams searched high and low, but they couldn't seem to find the strapping young lad. Helicopters, professional mountain climbers, and navy seals (presumably) pooled their intelligence and abilities in a great attempt to recover that which was lost. Alas, to no avail several days had passed, and our little friend was still suspended in the great abyss of a courageous hiking experience. That was, until, they prayed. Together these strong and mighty men bowed their hands and inquired of the Lord. Not a moment later the prompting came, "go South." Squads had been focusing their efforts on the Northern part of the mountain-- the area in which he was originally considered, "missing" but never before had they considered the other direction. Altogether they ventured the other way and within a few hours, the professional mountain climber had made contact with the boy. Hurrah for Israel! The boy had been found! A mother slept a little better that night and I am sure a little family had a stronger testimony of the power behind a ward family... Now, you may think this is just an epic story with a happy ending-- but after hearing this experience, I couldn't help but think of my journey as a missionary. We all have our, "mountains" I'm sure. And quite frankly... we all feel a little, "lost" don't we? I know I did. It took some time on the mountain before I could truly be found. Whether it was, physical limitations, social contention, misconstrued identity-- I hadn't found who I truly was, and it felt as though I was lost on a 50-mile hike. Even being on a mission-- I still felt like I was in the cavern, between a rock and.. well, quite the hard place. But I know in whom I've trusted... and knowing now what I do, there was a battalion of priesthood leaders and family members and loved ones who were anxiously rushing to help me to be found. I owe so much to my young men's leaders, my bishops, my spiritual mentors, and most importantly... my family. Together, they helped me to become the man that I am today... lost on that mountain I was saved by the light of some, "real professionals..." first: the Varners, carrying their cute little oil lamp, then companions with their flashlights who helped to show me the way; from experience to experience I felt like I was a step closer to surfacing my true identity from off the top of this mountain... and then finally, the Savior. The light and life of the world-- he came to me when I needed Him most-- he helped me to find myself, and to realize all those who had always been looking. And now I have the VERY unique opportunity to be apart of the search and rescue team for others' lost on their own mountains. With the light that I know, treasure, and love, I can help others to remember who they are-- and to know that there IS another side to this mountain they are climbing.
We are Saviors on MOUNT Zion-- the Savior himself has said,"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”
“Behold, I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do”
He is my light and my life, and we too can be lights and give life to those who need it most. We are HERE to help others to remember who they really are; to seek and to save that which is lost. Now that we know what we must do, "see that ye do these things." We feel uplifted and enlightened here in the holy land-- truly, this has been a great week. Every week gets harder, but it gets better. Harder doesn't mean worse-- and we couldn't be feeling any BETTER here in the GONZALES GAZETTE: CHAPTER FIVE.
Long introduction, my bad.
When God speaks, you listen.
When the Lord commands, do it.
Anyways,
We've had some pretty unique experiences this week. Remember the pastor? Remember the church? Remember those elect humans who got baptized and married? Remember my companion?
Let's talk about that.
Well, first of all, there is no greater feeling than inviting a family to read the Book of Mormon, and then coming back for a return appointment to find out that they DID it?? I know, we are pretty easy to please as missionaries... but then again, we represent God, so don't you think our little acts of obedience and faith would make God feel the same way? We have high standards for joy here in this mission.
BUT, remember the pastor? Remember the church? We went to Bible study this Sunday at our beloved, friendly neighborhood baptist church. The message was great, you could feel the spirit, the congregation was happy, it was a jolly old time. Towards the end of the study, the pastor invited us to say a few words; we just testified and expressed gratitude for the Savior and the tender mercy of attending their church. And then suddenly, the pastor paused for a moment... and then said,
"do y'all wanna teach next week? You can share whatever the Spirit directs, we just feel inspired by you young boys from the West!"
WE GOT INVITED TO SHARE OUR MESSAGE AT A BAPTIST CONGREGATION. We also were told his conversion story-- how he had decided that Jesus was too much for him and prayed for a sign to tell him otherwise, and then he got electrocuted in a freak accident, which left scorched prints in his hands and in his feet. And so... he naturally took that as a sign that he needed to be a pastor for the rest of his life. These people have some crazy stories, let me tell you! Tell me, how many, "Ginger Christian men" do you know that be preaching at Bible studies? The Lord has been so merciful to us-- and this congregation has truly been humbled by death and the small numbers of their church family. We were especially noticing this past Sunday when we attended service, how much love they have for their young people. As a matter of fact, when it came time to gather for the prayer circle, and the pastor mentioned the "young white boys from the West" all the old ladies in the congregation let forth a strong and powerful, "AMMMMMEEEENNNNNNNNNN HALLELUJAH." We felt sustained by these blessed women. And you know, the Lord really is mindful of his people-- he is no respecter of persons. He loves the Macedonia church just as much as he loves HIS church. I felt a stronger testimony that day of our collective divinity as His children. I know that the fullness of truth resides in the church of Jesus Christ-- and I cannot wait to share that joy that we feel this Wednesday at Bible study!
Some OTHER great news from this week...
Remember the couple that was baptized and married a couple days ago? WELL, EXCITING NEWS: Originally, because of the decisions they were making, their kids had been taken away from them. As they continued to meet with us and to read the Book of Mormon, their lives changed, they gave up their old habits, they got married, and eventually all of their righteous judgment lead them to the waters of baptism! Well, this Sunday, they came to church...
WITH. THEIR. KIDS.
And not only that, but the patriarch of the family was ordained as a Priest, received the Aaronic Priesthood, and was called to serve as a ward missionary! Talk about JOY, brothers, and sisters. Our hearts were full, I honestly could not stop smiling. God is preparing and fulfilling a marvelous work and a wonder here in the South and we are so blessed to be partners in salvation with the "author" himself!
AND, if y'all didn't know God is aware of you, let me just testify of divine companionships for a second. We spent most of this past week... in the hospital. Late nights with undiagnosed pain, several medications, and a few doctors later--- we've been kinda in and out of the stretcher this week. Thankfully, God has prepared this companionship from the beginning! We didn't really know what was going on, but God did. We ended up having to visit with some... GI doctors! And who better to counsel a companion on the whims of the gastrointestinal tract than scope boy himself! Everything is okay, honestly, but God really did bring us together through this physical trial of faith. I am grateful for Elder Paul; his strength, diligence, and can-do attitude. He is a great example to me and I know that we are serving together for a reason. I know that God puts us with the people who are around us... for a reason. This is HIS work-- we are laborers in HIS vineyard, and to quote a scripture that was referenced to me by a random, old man:
And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; -Acts 17:26
We are all children of God, I hope y'all know that! And before the world even began... we were thought of... prepared... and set apart to greatness while here. Prepare yourself, enlarge yourself, increase your relevance, be worthy, and I promise you will do everything God needs you to do while you are here!
Well y'all, that really was our week. In the words of Joshua, I too say, "give me this mountain." I've never received more light, comfort, or eternal joy than I have on the summits of affliction. I doubt that I have completely found myself or even become entirely who God needs me to be... but I know that I am a little closer. Sometimes, I find myself on that mountain again-- but it is in those moments that I remember all those who are, literally running to my aid, who are willing to climb mountains to save me-- and a Savior, who in his own mountain (garden) he finished his preparations among the children of men, and became who he needed to be by doing what he needed to do. Y'all, I testify that this is the Lord's work! The Gospel has been restored! These are the latter days-- and we all have rescuers. They are praying to find us. REMEMBER THAT! I testify of the power of the Book of Mormon; it has the power to change lives... to bring families together... and to unite spirits here in this life. I know these things to be true by the power of the Holy Ghost, which has witnessed to me, that I am doing what God needs to do. If you're on that mountain, take heart... help is coming. HAVE A GREAT WEEK Y'ALL! ELDER BOYD LOVES YOU!
Sincerely,
Rescuer (Elder) Boyd
This Week's Pics:
A picture from several weeks back: Elder Boyd with Elder Gong
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